Editing Share International

[[File:Benjamin_Creme,_consciously_looking_at_the_viewer.jpg|thumb|Benjamin Creme (1922-2016)]]
'''Share International Foundation''' is a non-profit organization in [[London]] founded by [[Benjamin Creme]] (1922–2016) with sister organizations in [[Amsterdam]], [[Tokyo]], and [[Berkeley, California]].{{sfnp|Brown|1998|p=13}}{{sfnp|Melton|1990|p=135}} From their 'about us' page, Share International describes the group as: "A worldwide network of individuals... whose purpose is to make known the fact that Maitreya ― the World Teacher for the coming age ― and his group, the Masters of Wisdom, are now among us..."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://share-international.org/aboutus/aboutus.htm | title=About Share International }}</ref>

According to Share International, [[Maitreya (Theosophy)|Maitreya]], a great Avatar (which means "coming down from far away" in Sanskrit),{{sfnp|Bailey|1948|pp=6–7}} has been living among the Asian community in [[London]] since 19 July 1977, and presently is in the process of emerging publicly worldwide.{{sfnp|Barrett|2001|p=347}}{{sfnp|Brown|1998|p=8}}

==Beliefs, practices and background==
[[Benjamin Creme]] was a student of the esoteric teachings of [[Alice Bailey]], [[Helena Blavatsky]] and [[Helena Roerich]].{{sfnp|Barrett|2001|p=348}} Share International's lectures and publications further these authors' ideas about Maitreya (meaning "kindliness or compassion" in [[Sanskrit]]).{{sfnp|Leadbeater|1925|p=295}} According to the Ageless Wisdom Teachings, the Advent of Maitreya fulfills not only [[Buddhist]] prophecies about the appearance of a future great teacher named ''Maitreya'', but also the prophecies of a number of other world religions ― including [[Christianity]] (the second coming of [[Christ]]), [[Hinduism]] (the [[Kalki]] avatar of [[Vishnu]]), [[Islam]] (the [[Imam Mahdi]]) and [[Judaism]] (the Jewish [[Messiah]]). Creme claimed that Maitreya was actually Jesus's teacher, and Maitreya manifested through (or ''overshadowed'') [[Master Jesus|Jesus]] 2,000 years ago.{{sfnp|Brown|1998|p=8}}  

In 1974, Benjamin Creme began teaching "Transmission Meditation", offering it as a means of pooling positive, spiritual energy for the benefit of Humanity. In Transmission Meditation, groups sit silently receiving spiritual energy 'stepped-down' and transmitted through them by the Masters of Wisdom (also called by some groups [[Ascended Master]]s). This group meditation is both a means of accelerating one's spiritual development and a form of service, in contrast to other types of meditation that focus solely on relaxation, physical restoration, mitigating stress or optimizing cognition.{{sfnp|Brown|1998|p=250}}{{sfnp|Melton|1990|p=136}}

Creme was generally reluctant to share the exact details about Maitreya's appearances on television and elsewhere ― as he stated that Maitreya discouraged people from chasing after him, and that no one could own him. Nonetheless, Creme confirmed that on 11 June 1988, Maitreya had appeared before 6000 Kenyans in an outdoor church where he spoke perfect Swahili for 18 minutes before disappearing, as had been reported in the ''Kenya Times''.{{sfnp|Mutungi|1988}} Both CNN and the BBC reported on this event, including the fact that many miraculous healings occurred there.{{sfnp|Brown|1998|p=349}}

Before his death, Creme increasingly described the Emergence as a gradual and intentional process rather than a distinctive event, as, according to Creme, Maitreya and the Masters of Wisdom are reluctant to infringe Humanity's free will.{{sfnp|Barrett|2001|p=347}}{{sfnp|Brown|1998|p=8}}{{sfnp|Nagel|1994}}

==Creme and the press==

Creme maintained that Maitreya descended from his ancient retreat in the [[Himalayas]] in 1977 and relocated to the Indian-Pakistani community of London.{{sfnp|Creme|1980|pp=20–21}} While journalists were invited to find Maitreya in the Brick Lane area, they failed to do so.{{sfnp|Barrett|2001|pp=347-349}}

Creme continued until his death in October 2016<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2016/11/11/benjamin-creme-artist-and-esotericist--obituary/ | title=Benjamin Creme, artist and esotericist – obituary | newspaper=The Telegraph | date=11 November 2016 }}</ref> to assert that Maitreya's full, public emergence was imminent.

==''Share International'' magazine==
[[File:Share_International_Magazine_cover_202303.jpg|thumb|The March 2023 issue of ''Share International'', with its cover featuring one of Benjamin Creme's pieces of artwork]]

Share International publishes a monthly magazine, also called ''Share International'', which brings together ancient ways of knowing and contemporary thinking.  It considers the causes underlying social, economic, political, and spiritual changes now occurring on a global scale, while seeking to inspire practical and compassionate action, such as activism, social justice, integrous journalism, as well as planetary healing.{{sfnp|Brown|1998|p=257}}

==Reception and criticisms==
According to the American religious scholar [[J. Gordon Melton]], Creme's statements served as a catalyst for assessment of the [[New Age]] movement by [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Christian]]s.{{sfnp|Newport|1998|pp=180–181}} A week after the advertisements in 1982, other advertisements appeared in the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' denouncing Creme as an instrument of the [[Antichrist]]. [[Constance Cumbey]] (an Evangelical Christian and a Detroit area attorney and author) holds that "Maitreya" is a pseudonym for the  Antichrist and regards Share International as an openly Luciferian movement.<ref>
She bases this on Creme's open professions of loyalty to [[Lucifer]] on various talk radio shows - some of which she has personally participated in. She also bases this on Creme's recitation of his belief in the contents of the Alice Bailey books - books which are published by Lucis Press - an organization that originally published under "Lucifer Publishing Company". {{harvp|Brown|1998|p=23}}: "Creme was agent for the AntiChrist. I had come across a pamphlet published by an organisation called the [[Christian Research Institute]] declaring its belief that Mr. Creme was indeed 'deriving his inspiration from a spiritual realm, albeit a malevolent one'."</ref><ref>
{{harvp|Barrett|2001|p=349}}: "Sensing a good offbeat story, a number of journalists search the Brick Lane area, but no one could point them at the returned Christ. Creme lost credibility and supporters, and gained some serious enemies among Evangelical Christians. An Evangelical book,''The Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow'' (1983) attacked all New Age and esoteric movements - especially Creme and the Maitreya [sic] - as a satanic conspiracy."</ref> Other Christian Evangelicals distanced themselves from  [[Constance Cumbey|Cumbey]]'s [[conspiracy theory]].{{sfnp|Newport|1998|pp=180–181}}

British journalist [[Mick Brown (journalist)|Mick Brown]] wrote "I came to enjoy my talks with Mr. Creme. His stories of the Hierarchy, of hidden retreats in Tibet, of... the cogs... guiding the planet towards an age of harmony and enlightenment ..." He described Creme's claims as fantastic and outlandish.{{sfnp|Brown|1998|p={{pn|date=February 2024}} }}

==See also==
* [[Aetherius Society]]
* [[Master Jesus]]
* [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|Theosophy]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

===Works cited===
* {{Cite book |last=Bailey |first=Alice A. |author-link=Alice Bailey |title=The Reappearance of the Christ |publisher=Lucis Trust |year=1948 |location=New York}}
* {{cite book |author-link=David V. Barrett |last=Barrett |first=David V. |title=[[The New Believers|The New Believers: A Survey of Sects, Cults and Alternative Religions]] |year=2001 |publisher=Cassell |isbn=0-304-35592-5}}
* {{cite book |author-link=Mick Brown (journalist) |last=Brown |first=Mick |title=The Spiritual Tourist: A Personal Odyssey Through the Outer Reaches of Belief |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=1-58234-034-X |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/spiritualtourist00mick}}
* {{cite book |last=Creme |first=Benjamin |author-link=Benjamin Creme |title=The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom |publisher=Tara Center |year=1980 |location=North Hollywood}}
* {{Cite book |last=Leadbeater |first=C. W. |author-link=Charles Webster Leadbeater |title=The Masters and the Path |publisher=Theosophical Press |year=1925 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P4v6UbvGniIC}}
* {{cite book |editor-link=J. Gordon Melton |editor-last=Melton |editor-first=J. Gordon |publisher=Gale Research |title=New Age Encyclopedia |year=1990 |isbn=0-8103-7159-6 |pages=135–137}}
* {{cite news |last=Mutungi |first=Job |date=June 22, 1988 |title=Did Jesus Christ come to the city? |pages=16–17 |newspaper=[[Kenya Times]] |volume=2 |number=111 |url=https://web.stanford.edu/~ichriss/N.htm |access-date=2022-12-28}}
* {{cite journal |last=Nagel |first=Alexandra |title=De Sai Paradox: Tegenstrijdigheden van en rondom Sathya Sai Baba |trans-title=The Sai paradox: contradictions of and surrounding Sathya Sai Baba |series=Religieuze Bewegingen in Nederland [Religious movements in the Netherlands] |journal=Sekten |trans-journal=Cults |year=1994 |number=29 |publisher=[[Vrije Universiteit|Free University of Amsterdam]] Press |lang=nl}}
* {{Cite book |last=Newport |first=John |title=The New Age Movement and the Biblical Worldview: Conflict and Dialogue |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-8028-4430-9 |location=Grand Rapids}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite news |author-link=Mick Brown (journalist) |last=Brown |first=Mick |title=Messiah is alive and well and in London |newspaper=The Sunday Times |date=23 October 1988 |page=A15 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Creme |first=Benjamin |title=Maitreya's Mission |volume=2 |publisher=Share International Foundation |year=1993 |location=Los Angeles |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |author-link=Constance Cumbey |first=Cumbey |last=Constance |title=Hidden Dangers of the Rainbow: The New Age Movement and Our Coming Age of Barbarism |publisher=Huntington House Publishers |year=1985 |isbn=0-910311-03-X |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |author-link=Douglas Groothuis |last=Groothuis |first=Douglas R. |title=Unmasking the New Age |year=1986 |publisher=[[Inter-Varsity Press]] |isbn=0-87784-568-9 |page=120 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Peterson |first=Wayne S. |title=Extraordinary Times, Extraordinary Beings: Experiences of an American Diplomat with Maitreya and the Masters of Wisdom |publisher=Hampton Roads Publishing Company |year=2003 |isbn=1-57174-376-6 |ref=none}}

==External links==
* {{official|http://www.Share-International.org/}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:New Age organizations]]
[[Category:Religious organisations based in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:World government]]
[[Category:New religious movements established in the 1970s]]